My training plan for this year’s Boston Marathon included the usual long distances, but I had/have a few specific workouts that I wanted to get in: 10 repeats up (and down) on a long, steep hill; two road races; and a trial run along most of the Boston course itself.

With just over three weeks to go until the big day, I’m inching toward my goals. I’ve done 3 reps, then 6 up and down Pinnacle Road in Harvard. It’s a steep .8-mile hill in the town next to Ayer, where I live. My plan is to build toward 10 repeats, and some day next week looks like it will happen.

It’s going to be somewhat grueling; when I did the 6 repeats about 3 weeks ago, it turned into a 2-hour workout with a 15-minute warm-up and cool down included. But it’s supposed to be hard. I’m trying to mimic how tired I will feel going up the Newton hills.

As far as racing goes, I did a half-marathon in Ashland on April 16, but the 15K in Upton on April 5 that I was targeting isn’t going to happen. My wife has something planned that day and I don’t feel like taking my daughter (Nina, she’s 8) to the race, only to have her be board for an hour and a half.

Door closed.

So I moved on. With that scrapped, I turned my attention to running on the marathon course. Friday mornings are the best day for me to go long because I don’t work, my wife is working and Nina is at school. Best part? My run doesn’t interfere with family time.

I began to balk at running the course; I figured I could use the Harvard (Mass.) hills and make a long run out of it near my house. But I really wanted to run along the hallowed ground that is Boston. Things started to fall into place when I saw the forecast for this Friday – 50s and a tail wind, with rain later in the day.

And my daughter had a play date set up for the afternoon, so the day – and the door of opportunity - really open up. I was committed.

Many Boston runners will be doing the Hopkinton-to-Boston run this weekend, but it’s supposed to be wet and the roads could be quite crowded (with traffic and runners). Another reason Friday was the perfect choice.

I had been trying to figure out the best way to run along Routes 135, 16 and 30, then use public transportation on the way back to my car. Should I start in Natick? Framingham? Hopkinton? The answer: neither.

Ashland.

That would give me close to 20 miles if the plan was to end up at Heartbreak Hill (Boston’s Mile 21). Using Mapquest, I discovered that the Commuter Rail isn’t far from Comm. Ave. (Route 30). My plan was in place: Begin at the Ashland Commuter Rail station, run the course to Heartbreak, come back down the famed hill, bang a right onto Walnut Street, go over the Mass Pike to the Newtonville Commuter Rail stop.

Logistically, the day could not have gone better. I got Nina on the bus at 8 today (Friday), walked the dog and headed for Ashland, about a 45-minute drive. My goal was to start at 9, get to Newton around noon with enough time to fuel, then jump on the train.

When I arrived in Ashland and pulled off my jeans and put my gloves on, it was 9:02. Perfect!

From the Commuter Rail lot, it took me 13 minutes to get to Route 135 near where the Dairy Queen used to be (Blizzard fans, like myself, are happy to know it is moving to another location in Ashland), which is right near Mile 4 of the Boston course.

I ran along shoulders and sidewalks, against traffic, and really started to enjoy myself going through Framingham and picturing what the crowds will be like on April 21. Running through Natick is such a treat because I grew up there; graduated high school there; came of age there; made lots of mistakes there.

Crossing major intersections was going to be tricky, I knew, but for the most part, I was able to time the lights and get through without stopping. Someone honked at me in Natick. (It sounded like a rather enthusiastic honk – was it someone I knew {I couldn’t tell because of the glare}, were they ‘cheering’ me on because they knew where I was headed, or were they just annoyed? No clue).

Wellesley was a bit crowded when it came to parked cars, but I got through fine. Route 16 was next.

I did see quite a few runners along the way, but they were all headed in the opposite direction. It seemed like I was one of the few headed for Heartbreak. That later changed.

In Newton Lower Falls, there’s some downhill, then you go up and over Route 128. A small hill, but you feel it on marathon day. It’s at about Mile 16.

Soon I was at the turn at the firehouse for Route 30 (Commonwealth Ave.). That’s always a fun, rowdy spot on the course (near Mile 17). And it’s where you take stock to see how you’re feeling – because the hills are approaching.

I wanted to run the hills a bit hard, knowing I was near the end. So I did pick up my pace, and before long, I was closing in on Heartbreak. There’s a big mansion-sized house to the left of the road at the top – just before you get to Boston College – so I always fix my gaze on it. That’s where you start going down again, and on race day, it’s where the “spirited” BC students await to slap your hand.

When I got to the house at Manet Street, it was time to turn around and head for the train. My watch said 2:28 (that’s running time, not time of day). Hard part was over. When I spun around, I felt the wind. I didn’t feel it when it was at my back (why is that?), but heading west I sure did. But I was going downhill, and using the carriageway then runs parallel to Comm. Ave. provided some traffic-free peace of mind.

After a mile or so, I found Walnut Street and headed for the train. While running down the Newton hills, I did see more runners heading up them. This is normally a busy spot for runners.

I arrived on Washington Street in Newtonville just before noon. I located the train station below and knew I had 25 minutes in order to hit a convenience store before the 12:24 train arrived. I found a Tedeschi’s and bought Powerade, water, a sandwich and chips. By the time I walked out of the store, all I had to do was wait 10 minutes for the train.

The end of the run was tiring, but I got in about 20 miles in just under 3 hours. Mission accomplished.

Better yet, not long after I arrived home, it started to rain. Mother Nature was on my side, and when the weather turns foul this weekend, I won’t feel like I need to be “out there” putting in miles.

For those of you who are out on the Boston course on Sunday, when it’s supposed to be 38 degrees, windy and rainy, remember all those winter runs, when you were out in the 5-below-zero darkness of 6 a.m.

It won’t seem quite so bad. And a little suffering will do you good. Think of it as preparation for the big day.

Tim Dumas, night editor for the MetroWest and Milford Daily News, is running the Boston Marathon next month.